Potential adviser to Pence withdraws after Trump objects

WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence’s choice to be his new national security adviser has withdrawn from consideration after President Donald Trump got wind of the plan to hire someone associated with anti-Trump ads in the past.

The White House says Jon Lerner, an adviser to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has withdrawn from the proposed dual role with the vice president.

Alyssa Farah, a Pence spokeswoman, says Lerner informed Pence on Sunday night that he was withdrawing and Pence accepted his decision.

Lerner is a longtime Republican strategist who advised Haley’s campaigns for South Carolina governor. He also worked with the Club for Growth, which aired ads critical of Trump during the 2016 campaign. Trump’s push to block Lerner’s appointment was first reported by Axios.

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